State and Local Curriculum Documents

Common Core State Standards

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce.

These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs. The standards:

 Are aligned with college and work expectations;

 Are clear, understandable and consistent;

 Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;

 Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;

 Are informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and

Links to Resources

On this page you will find links to resources in each of the content areas. Many of these resources are intended for teacher use, however, they are open to anyone to view. If you would like to add links of resources to this page, email Peter Kudlak, Assistant Superintendent.

Letter from the Assistant Superintendent

Milan Area Schools is dedicated to the revision, implementation, and monitoring of the district curriculum in all content areas. Over the last twelve years Milan has revised every content area, purchased new materials, and aligned our curriculum to Michigan Department of Education (MDE) Standards and Benchmarks. We have continued to update our curriculum to address the new Grade Level Content Expectations, High School Content Expectations and Graduation Requirements set forth by the Michigan Department of Education. We have begun to evaluate our alignment this year with the new Common Core Standards that MDE adopted. We continually analyze the curriculum provided to our students and make necessary changes to offer our students a quality education.

We achieved District Accreditation through AdvancEd during the 2011-2012 school year. This process is what guides our school improvement efforts. AdvancED District Accreditation is a powerful systems approach to improving student performance results and organizational effectiveness over time. District Accreditation recognizes that increasing student achievement involves more than improving instruction. It is a result of how well all the parts of the education system - the district, school, and classroom - work together to meet the needs of students. The team identified four areas of focus in our efforts to continuously improve: reading, writing, mathematics, and the integration of technology. These need-based curricular areas were identified based on a review of relevant data. Each school building has identified building goals based on the district goals and strategies are being implemented to improve student achievement.

The staff at Milan Area Schools has been using an electronic tool to map the curriculum they implement in their classrooms. This tool allows us to monitor the operational curriculum and identify gaps or repetition in our curriculum. By using this tool, the curriculum committees can make informed decisions regarding the revision of a particular content area.

We implemented a testing program called, Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) by Northwest Evaluation Association during the 2006-2007 school year. The data we collect with this test is used to determine individual student achievement in the areas of mathematics and reading and to help focus our instruction to better meet the needs of our students. We will continue to use this tool in the years to come.

During the 2012-2013 school year, our revisions will focus specifically on meeting the new science standards (Next Generation) that is currently being developed. We will review the curriculum to determine changes necessary to enhance our instruction and improve student achievement. This curriculum will align with the content expectations and the new Common Core to address the needs of our students with respect to the high school graduation requirements and the Michigan Merit Curriculum.

We will continue to offer the students in Milan a top-fight curriculum and provide the materials necessary to implement the curriculum effectively. If you have any questions regarding the curriculum at Milan Area Schools, please feel free to contact me.